Drying-tumbler.



B. T. HICKMAN.

' omma TUMBLER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22. I917- L243,608. Patented Oct. 16,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- [yuan/01;

B. T. HICKMAN.

DRYING TUMBLER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22. 1911.

1,243,603. Patented Oct. 16,1917.

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wives B. T. HICKMAN.

DRYING TUMBLER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22. I917- ji Patented Oct. 16,1917.

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' NITED sans rx'rn- BROOKING '1. HICKMAN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

DBYING-TUMBLER.

Application filed January 22,1917. Serial No. 143,588.

To all whom it may concern. v

Be it known that I Bnoomuo T. H'IcK- MAN, a citizen of the Ijnited States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying-- Tumblers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements 1n drying tumblers, for use in laundries, dry-' cleaning establishments, etc, and one object is to provide a simple, eflicient and 1nexpensive machine of this character whereby garments, 'etc., can be dried more quickly and economically than with the machines now in general use.

Heretofore, drying tumblers have been heated with steam coils placed more or less remote from the cylinder in which the garments are dried. Exposure of said coils to the air cohls the steam passing therethrough and results in considerable condensation which renders the steam inethcient for heating purposes. Considerable loss of heat radiated from the coils also results in their comparative remoteness from the garments being dried, so that on the whole only a small percentage of eiiiciency is obtained from the fuel employed.

I overcome the foregoing objections by applying the heat directly around the cylinder where it will prove most effective, and reduce to a minimum trouble from condensation of steam.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drying tumbler constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective'view of a plurality of steam chests constituting an important feature of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a central, vertical section of the drying tumbler, taken on line IIIIII of Pi 4.

- 1%ig. 4 is a central, cross section, taken on line'IVIV of Fig. 3. y

Fig. 5 is a modi ed form of steam chest.

In carrying out the invention, cylinder casing 1, provided with a door 2 and carried by a frame 3 having a plurality of legs 4.

5 designates a rotary cylinder arranged within the casing 1 and consisting of forammous material to permit the circulation of which latter the cylinder 5 I employ a hot air therethrough. Said cylinder 5 is provided with a pair of trunnions 6, journaled in bearings 7 on opposite sides of the casing 1 one of said trunnions 6 having a loose pulley 8 and a fixed pulley 9 through is driven.

The cylinder 5 is provided with a peripheral door 10 controlling access to the mterior thereof for the placement and removal of garments and other articles to be dried after being cleaned. Said door 10 may be mount ed in any suit-able manner. In the drawings, I have shown it operably-connected at one end to the cylinder by a hinge 11 and provided at its free end with a suitable fastening device 12, whereby it may be secured in closed position.

13 designates a plurality of segmental steam chests placed around the interior of the casing 1 in an annular space 14 left be tween said casing 1 and the cylinder 5 for the purpose. nected by steam pipes 15, 16, and 17, so that steam admitted through an inlet pipe 18 may freely flow to the difi'erent chests to heat the same before' finally escaping through an exhaust pipe 19 communicating with one of the lower steam pipes 16. As disclosed by Fig. 2, the two uppermost steam chests l3 -are spaced a considerable distance apart, such space being opposite the door 2 in the casing to permit access to the cylinder 5 when its door 10 is opposite said door.2. r

21 designates an air inlet duct communicating at its lower end with two branches 22 leading into opposite sides of the casing 1 near the upper portion thereof, and 24 designates two outlet ducts leading from the lower ortion of the casing 1 near the opposite sidhs thereof to a fan or blower 25, the shaft of which is provided with a loose pulley 27 and a fixed pulley 28, through the intermediacy of which latter said shaft is driven.

The steam pipe 18 may of steam from any suitable source. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have shown it communicating with a boiler A to whichthe exhaust steam can be returned if [desired The steam chests 13 are conreceive its supply 5 is rotated at a suitable speed, and steam is admitted to the steam chests from the inlet pipe 18. The blower 25 is also started to draw air through the cylinder 5 and the contents thereof. As the air passes through the cylinder 5 it'is highly heated by direct contact with the steam chests 13 and thus quickly accomplishes its function of drying the articles in the cylinder, which, through its rotary motion, agitates and moves the articles about, thus exposing the diiierent parts thereof to the hot current of air passing through the cylinder.

By applying the heat directly within the cylinder casing 1 instead of through exterior coils as is customary, it is obvious that the steam is employed in the most economical and efficient manner, which in efiect .increases the capacity of the apparatus, as. it is apparent that a greater num er of articles can be dried in a given period of time than heretofore.

While the apparatus is eficient in drying clothes which have either been laundered, or dry-cleaned with gasolene in the usual way, it can be employed to advantage in drawing lint and dust from the garments before they are placed in a gasolene vat for cleaning, 'l18I1C6 the same-gasolene may be used over and over again to a greater extent than heretofore.

For convenience in assembling the parts the steam chests 13 are made small enough to pass through the doorway in the casing 1, but it is obvious that one large steam chest 3 can be used instead of several small ones, "if placed in the casing before the ends thereof are closed.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have produced an eificient apparatus embodying the advantages above enumerated, and while I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, I reserve the right to make such changes in the constructlon, proportion, and

arrangement of parts as properly fall within the spirit and scope ofthe claims. Having thus described my invention, what I claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a machine of the character described,

a casing having a door therein, a cylinder of foraminous material fiournaled in said casa casing having a door intense 2. In a machine of the character described,

foraminous material journaled in said casing and provided with a door, a plurality of steam chests interposed between the walls of said casing and the cylinder, two of said steam chests being spaced apart opposite the door of the casing, steam pipes connecting said steam chests, and means for creating an air current through the casing and the cylinder and against said steam chests.

3. In a machine of the character described, a casing, means through which access may be had to the interior ofsaidcasing, a cylinder journaled in said casing, means through which. access may be had to the interior of said cylinder, a steam chest interposed between the walls of the casing and the cylinder, air inlet pipes communicating with the casing, 'air outlet pipes also communicating with said casing, and a blower connected to certain of said pipes to create an air current through the casing and the cylinder and against the steam chest.

4. In a machine of the character described, a casing having means of access to the interior thereof, a cylinder journaled in the casing and provided'with means' whereby access may be had to the interior of said cylinder, means for rotating said cylinder, a steam chest interposed between the walls of the casing and the cylinder, means for conducting steam to said steam chest, means forcxhausting steam from said steam chest, air inlet pipes communicating with the upper portion of the casing, air outlet pipes leading from the lower portion of the casing, and a blower connectin certain of said pipes to create a circulation of air throu h the casing and the cylinder and against t e BROOKING T. HICKMAN.

' Witnesses:

F. G. Frsonnn, L- J. FIscHnR.

therein, a cylinder of 

